The March 26 game was the last time a Canadian team would visit the Canes for the 2017-18 season. Our sports correspondent, who is hanging up his skates, sent along his last report.
The CNNC (and previously CanSouth) thank him for his time, contribution and enthusiasm .
Forwards Valentin Zykovers of the AHL. Foegele had a goal and an assist in his first game as the Canes beat the Senators 4-1 Monday night. Both of Foegele’s shots resulted in goals. His first career goal came with 1:08 left in the first when he skated up the end line and slipped the puck between Anderson’s glove and the post. He assisted on Zykov’s go-ahead goal with 5:22 left in the second, with the physical Russian forward poking in the rebound of Foegele’s shot to make it 2-1.
‘The best advice I got was to just shoot it on net,” Foegele said. ”So I shot it, and it just went in. It took me (until) about the third shift to realize it was just another hockey game,” Foegele said, repeatedly calling it ”a surreal moment.”
Brock McGinn and Valentin Zykov scored 98 seconds apart in the second period, Sebastien Aho scored an empty-netter with 1:59 remaining and Derek Ryan had two assists for the Canes third straight. The Canes have an outside chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2009 moving within seven points of the Devils with six games left. It was the young guys on the Hurricanes that played the key roles in winning this crucial game against Ottawa. It was the sixth career game for both Zykov and defenseman Roland McKeown- who was on the ice for each of Carolina’s first three goals. Cam Ward made 19 saves for Carolina.
“They can come in here and instill that youth and energy and vigour, and I think they’ve shown that,” Ryan said. ”They’ve done that so far, and it’s fun to have that kind of the smiles on their faces, to see Warren score his first goal in his first game and smile on the bench, he’s excited and it kind of makes me relive those memories for myself.”
Bobby Ryan scored and Craig Anderson stopped 26 shots for the Senators, who lost their fifth straight and have been outscored 22-7 in their last four. The Hurricanes beat them twice in three nights by a combined 9-3 score.
”You can look down the lineup, we’re plugging in guys to see where they fit, and trying different players here and there,” Anderson said. ”As long as the compete level’s there, you can’t fault anybody, and that’s how it was tonight. We came out, we competed and just weren’t able to get the win.”
NHL Team Stats:
http://espndeportes.espn.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=400962774